Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Dental Professionals-A Questionaire Study Hegde Sushmini1, Donly Arsha2,*, Shankar Kavya2 1Reader, Department of Oral Medicne and Radiology, The Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore 2Post Graduate Student, Department of Oral Medicne and Radiology, The Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore *Corresponding Author: Dr Arsha Donly, Post graduate student, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, The Oxford Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore E-mail id: arshadonly24@gmail.com
Online published on 3 April, 2018. Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) among dental professionals and to analyze the effect of work related risk factors on these MSDs Methodology The 12 item closed ended questionnaire was formulated and was validated by 30 different subject experts and the modifications suggested were implemented. Questionnaires were distributed among 200(82 females and 118 males) dental professionals in Bangalore. The questionnaire was divided into 3 sections. The first section was demographic data which included gender, age, years of experience, acquired specialization and work duration. The second section included questions regarding work conditions (working posture, work with or without an assistant, exercising habit, breaks between the treatment, history of musculoskeletal disorders). The third section included MSDs and its interference in clinical practice. The responses were tabulated and Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. Results The study showed that more than 97% of surveyed dental professionals experienced pain and disability in the neck (56%), back region(43%), hand and wrists region (25%), hip joint (24%), shoulder area (34%) and knee (19%). It was recognized that limited ergonomics in the work environment of the dentists results in MSDs. Maintaining proper ergonomic positions, using ergonomic equipment, taking breaks, as well as exercising regularly can prevent this devastating occupational health problem. Conclusion This study indicates that the surveyed dental professionals demonstrated improper working habits and deficiency of basic knowledge of ergonomics which results in MSDs, and its prevalence is very high. Top Keywords Dentistry, ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, occupational health hazards. Top |